Category Archives: Hero History

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Hero History: Celeste Rockfish

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Or – “For Those Who Wonder What Happened To The Guardians…”

There are a lot of interesting stories in the fifty-year history of the Legion of Super-Heroes, but the ones that fascinate me are the Legionnaires whose stories remain mostly untold.  The post-Five-Year-Gap stories of the Legion tried to bring the shiny future kids up to speed with a more adult comic industry, adding to the mix characters who had adult skills and knowledges, giving the LSH experience with things out of the purview of, say, Lightning Lad, who has been fighting giant space whales since he was 12.  From Tenzil Kem’s return with years of political experience and clout, to Devlin O’Ryan’s career as a reporter, to Kent Shakespeare’s medical training, these characters brought a new perspective to the kids, lads, and lasses.  Today’s entrant was another of these, trained as a private investigator (even taking her pseudonym from a character near and dear to Stephen’s heart) with ties to the Legion’s earliest history.  Get ready to pony up 200 credits a day (plus expenses) as we delve into her life and times.  This, then, is your Major Spoilers Hero History of the hero briefly known as Neon of Earth…  Celeste Rockfish!

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Hero History: Devlin O’Ryan

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Or – “Some Heroes Take A While To Warm Up…”

Last time out, we returned to the “Five Year Gap” era Legion of Super Heroes for the first time in a while, visiting the world as it was with neither Kal-El of Krypton or the Time Trapper.  I’ve said before, and I still believe that this portion of Legion history (now, apparently relegated to one of many alternate realities) was the first dry run for rebooting Legion continuity, which was then considered to be too complex and hard to understand.  Of course, Keith Giffen and company felt that the best way to deal with the issues of complexity and continuity was to remove the distinct color-schemed costumes and codenames and go low-tech.  It was a bold move, and one that worked mostly due to the characters in play.  One of the more unique Legionnaires of this time started out not as a hero, but as a Daily Planet cub reporter sent by Earthgov to bury the Legion with bad press.  In a Legion that welcomed a smuggler, a private detective, a senator, and even a former member of the Legion of Super-Villains, he was our point of view character, the closest thing we had to the kid next door in a 30th Century fraught with terror.  This, then, is your Major Spoilers Hero History of the Legionnaire briefly known as Reflex of Earth…  Devlin O’Ryan!

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Hero History: Kono

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Or – “Not Nearly As Innocent As She Looks…”

The post-Five-Year-Gap stories of the Volume Four Legion get, I think, short shrift in LSH history, for a lot of reasons.  It was really the first proto-reboot of the title, pushing the team forward in time, forcing us to learn, issue by issue, what had happened in the missing years.  It gave up on the colorful costumes and superhero codenames, and delved much deeper into the corruption that some would say always exists at the heart of a bright and shiny society.  This period of Legion history is one known for a looser team ethic, a more catch-as-catch-can philosophy, and in some cases, a complete disregard for the legal niceties of the United Planets.  That’s where this week’s entrant comes in…  Born of a planet of notorious thieves, she joined the Legion almost by accident, but once there, became one of the definitive characters of her Legion’s era.  Smart, funny, perverse, mean-spirited, and cute as the dickens, she perfected the art of needling her opponents by first torturing her friends and teammates.  This, then, is your Major Spoilers Hero History of Brita An’nan of Sklar…  Kono!

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Hero History: Computo

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Or – “What’s REALLY In A Name?”

If you were to go to the dentist, open the door, and find a nameplate that reads “Dr. Hiram Rippedflesh, DDS,” you might consider postponing that appointment, right?  And, say,  if the first officers to respond to your call for help were Sergeant Lunatic and Detective Disemboweler, again, you’d probably have second thoughts about your situation, yes?  I imagine that general feeling is roughly how the Legionnaires must have felt when confronted by a girl choosing a nom de guerre that originally hung on one of the worst threats the team had ever faced, a murderous inhuman creature that nearly cost Brainiac 5 his mind, that came close to killing the second Invisible Kid, that DID KILL one of Triplicate Girl’s selves.  What possible reasoning could there be behind such a name, you ask?  How about “It just sounds cool!“  The 1990′s were a brave new world for the kids of the LSH, and few moments are as emblematic of that move away from history and into the bright and shiny future’s brighter and shinier future-er than the induction of today’s Hero History subject…  Once just a cute kid sister and plot device, she grew into a leader among the team, and a respected Legionnaire in her own right.  This, then, is your Major Spoilers Hero History of Danielle Foccart of Earth…  Computo!

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Hero History: Catspaw

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Or – “I Can Has Flight Ring?”

There are many subtle differences between the comic publishing industry in 1958, when the Legion debuted, and 1991-ish, when the ‘Legionnaires’ comic was published.  Aside from the obvious post-modern, technological blah dee blah, the major factor that separated the 90′s from the 50′s in comics terms was the existence of the X-Men.  The 600 pound gorilla of the comics world, our boys and girls in blue and gold caused rampant changes to nearly every comic book title extant, in the hopes of catching some of that proverbial ‘phat cash.’  Today’s H.H. subject is one of the characters who really shows that influence, for good or for ill, as the 30th century’s take on Wolverine, himself influenced by Legionnaire Timber Wolf. (Of course, Logan then influenced Wolfsbane and other feral hero types, who in turn influenced this character.  Can anybody say “Ouroboros?”  No?  Me, neither…)  Regardless of her roots, though, she’s more than just a T-Wolf stand-in, acting as a change of pace in character terms, much as her teammate Dragonmage did in terms of powers.  Driven by her instincts, motivated by her whims, she represents something unusual for the Legion: the animal perspective.  This, then, is your Major Spoilers Hero History of April Dumaka of Earth…  Catspaw!

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Hero History: Dragonmage

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Or – “Magic And The Legion.  Two Great Tastes That Taste WEIRD Together…”

Throughout the history of the Legion of Super-Heroes, many of their members have gotten their powers from experimentation run wild (Sun Boy, Wildfire, Quislet, and even the Ranzz twins, in a way) whereas others have gained their powers from simple genetics (Dawnstar, Cosmic Boy, Matter-Eater Lad, etc.)  But for many years in the bright and shiny future, no one gained their abilities from manipulation of the mystic powers, from the hoary hosts of the neitherworld, or from the various powers beyond the pale.  When Mysa Nal, the White Witch, joined the original Legion, she was, in her own way, nearly as alien as Tellus or Blok, with her spell and her grimoires and such.  And it was quite a few years before another Legionnaire arose from the ranks of mysticism to take his place among the team.  One of the shortest lived LSHers of all, he nonetheless showed courage, character, and heroic ideals worthy of the decades-long membership of Colossal Boy or Brainiac 5. This, then, is your Major Spoilers Hero History of Xao Jin of Earth… Dragonmage!

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Hero History: Gear

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Or – “Robot ROLL CALL!“

The concept of “the bright and shiny future” is the key behind the popularity of the Legion over the years, but what that future entails has changed with each decade.  What started as a bunch of squeaky-clean teens in an upturned rocket ship had to evolve with the changing times, as the kids of the Legion and the readership aged.  When the Legion was rebooted in the 1990′s, the strange future where everybody was clean-cut and had a nice stable family upbringing had finally been thrown aside, and we got to see the Legionnaires recast in roles that were more like the other heroes of the age.  In that vein came today’s entrant, a hero whose powers were oh-so-90′s, the mecha-empath, a technokinetic hero who served as a sort of Swiss army superhero for the Legion’s slicing-dicing-and-even-cutting-tin-cans-with-it hours of need.  Though his time with the team was short, he nonetheless was a change of pace for the Legion, and at least his powers (thank Rao) didn’t come from freakin’ nanites.  (Bloodshot!  I’m lookin’ at you, pally!)  This, then, is your Major Spoilers Hero History of I.Z.O.R. of Linsnar…  Gear!

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Hero History: Shikari

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Or – “An Old Tradition With A Brand New Face.  Well, Actually… NO Face.”

The Legion of Super-Heroes has, through the years, defied the archetypes of superhumans, redefining powers that we’d already seen in new ways.  During the early 60′s, when Sue Storm was a preening airhead with an astronaut’s wife’s haircut, Saturn Girl was leading the team.  In the 1970′s, the Legion pioneered a number of concepts ahead of their time, with the bodiless energy being known as Wildfire, and the strange and obscure powers of Tyroc and Chemical King presaging weird nebulous characters like Jack Hawksmoor and…  well, everyone written by Grant Morrison, really.  So, when a winged woman with the ability to exist in space and whose powers included the ability to seek out and find her target across interstellar distances showed up, the Legion was once again ahead of the curve.  Years later, during the rebooted Legion, this concept was remixed (with a little alternate dimension thrown in) giving us one of the most unusual and intriguing characters of the Legion’s second run.  This, then, is your Major Spoilers Hero History of the Kwai known as the Lone Star of the Lost Galaxy…  Shikari!

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Hero History: Magno

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Or – “The Kind Of Heroism That Doesn’t Require Super-Powers.”

During the 5o years of Legion operations, many heroes have come and gone, and a great many of them have had limited tenures with the team…  But it should be noted that one of the least tenured Legionnaires, the boy called Ferro Lad, even to this day casts one of the longest shadows.  But few Legionnaires have had the deck stacked against them the way today’s Hero History subject has.  Even his own team leader had trouble seeing him as anything but a replacement Cosmic Boy, but he did everything in his power to change that assessment, and went through a series of setbacks and trials that forced him to redefine the kind of contribution that he could make.  Always upbeat, even in the face of tragedy, he helped to define the rebooted Legion as a separate entity from it’s Pre-Crisis counterpart.  This, then, is your Major Spoilers Hero History of Dirk Magz of Braal…  Magno!

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Hero History: Phantom Girl

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Or – “When The Girl Next Door Comes From Another Dimension…”

In our Hero Histories to date, we’ve seen martyrs and martinets, rockmen and rubber boys, 12th level geniuses and 20th century rejects, but today’s Hero History subject is one of the most relatable of the various Legionnaires throughout the years.  Her story is very familiar, a girl from a good family who leaves home and ends up bonding with a kid from the wrong side of the tracks.  Her story becomes inextricably intertwined with that of her longtime beau, encompassing one of the Legion’s longest-running and most successful romances, and the depth of love is as impressive as his super-powers in many ways.  She’s the sweetest, the calmest of Legionnaires, even at times when all seems lost, and the nature of her powers allow her a sense of serenity that most LSHers can only dream of.  In short, she’s the Legionnaire I’d be most likely to fall in love with, and, I have to say this…  her classic costume showcases one of the finest derrieres of the 31st century.  This, then, is your Hero History of Tinya Wazzo of Bgztl…  Phantom Girl!

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Hero History: Monstress

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Or – “Bruce Banner Malibu Barbie, Anyone?”

Astute Spoilerites may have noticed that at the very bottom of each Hero History, tucked under the seemingly endless links, there’s a coming attraction for the next episode.  It’s my old-school television roots showing…  In any case, the last Hero History promised a little bit a Tinya in your life, and I was well into gathering my research for her story, when something happened.  Something important, something that caused an immediate change in plans.  In order to explain the significance of this event, I need to tell you the story of “The Hero History That Did Not Want To Be Told.”  Many weeks ago, I broke down my outline of Legionnaires and the order in which I wanted to indoctrinate them to their moment in the sun.  Way back in March, I completed my Sun Boy history, and turned to the next hero in rotation…  only to find that I didn’t own her last appearance.  But of course, I WORK in a comic store, so this shouldn’t be too hard, right?  Nope.  The issue was neither in our back issue bins or in the storage area we call the cave.  I asked Deon to order me the collected TPB, but it’s out of print.  I then went to my second line of the defense, a fellow comic store owner in Lawrence.  No dice.  Having checked my friendly local comic book shop, I went to Mile High Comics online.  Out of stock.  Then, wonder of wonders, I found a copy on Ebay…

…only to lose the auction at the last minute.  Another ray of hope came when a new agent came to my team in June, and he, a fellow comic fan, mentioned in passing that he had a copy…

…but when he went to find it, he found that his home had been broken into and many of his comics stolen, including the one I needed.  Yesterday, I spent SIX hours in the comic shops of Kansas City, only to find my efforts in vain.  This issue was destined to evade me.  Last night, I bumped into an old friend online, and lo and behold, she had the issue, and within twenty minutes had given me the images I needed.  After all this folderal, I felt that I must immediately put together her much-delayed and seemingly cursed Hero History before a catastrophic hard drive failure or a plague of locusts struck.  She joined the team on a lark, and soon made herself beloved amongst her fellows, standing by the team in one of their darkest hours, and dying like she lived, as a champion of hope.  This, then, is your Major Spoilers history of Candi Pyponte-Le Parc III of Xanthu…  Monstress!

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Hero History: Inferno

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Or – “That’s Right…  Sandy Makes The Cut, Atmos Doesn’t.  My Rules, I Make ‘Em Up.”

When making my final, official, multi-reality, complete roster of the Legion of Super Heroes, I ran afoul of a few conundrums.   Should I count one-issue plot devices like Command Kid or Dynamo Boy as LSHers?  Should I treat the post-reboot Umbra, Leviathan, Alchemist, et al as separate entities from the pre-Crisis Shadow Lass, Colossal Boy, and Element Lad? Could I give the likes of Chemical King or Monstress, with their short tenures, the same kind of gravitas that I hope to impart to Mon-El and Cosmic Boy??  (Your mileage may vary, but I’m trying, Ringo.  I’m tryin’ real hard to be the shepherd…)  And what about Legionnaires whose tenures have gone undocumented, like those during the 5 Year Gap era of the team?  Do they count?  The main thrust of my decisions came down to one important question:  Does the character in question feel like a Legionnaire?  Did he she or it embody that which edifies, elevates, and enlightens?  Could Character X honestly stand alongside Bouncing Boy, Matter-Eater Lad and Tyroc, much less Brainiac 5 or WIldfire?  I’ve been very open from the beginning about the fact that there will be no history of Atmos or Nemesis Kid (at least as Legionnaires…)  I just can’t bring myself to take a character who manipulated his way onto the team and into Nura’s bed by using his “super-roofie” powers, and brought nothing to the Legion save invisible armpits.  Same goes for Val’s murderer.  You may argue that each has his moments, and I agree, but so do many supporting Legion characters (Flynt Brojj, Karate Kid’s sensei, R.J. Brande, etc.) who don’t qualify. Call it “personal continuity,” if you need a name.  And in that vein, today’s Hero History entrant is an unusual case.  She served alongside the team without ever really seeming to belong, and her unpleasantness and snark weren’t the attitude you expected from a member of the LSH.  Yet, somehow, she proved herself to the team, and to me, and was allowed to wear the much-vaunted Legion crest and flight ring.  This then, is your Major Spoilers Hero History of the girl who might be Sandy Anderson of Earth…  Inferno!

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